It’s the new year, are you ready for a fresh start! Paint is the easiest and most economical way to dramatically transform the look and feel of your home interior.
San Francisco interior designer, Kimball Starr, is featured as the paint color expert for home interiors in a guest appearance on the nationally televised series of PBS “Creative Living with Sheryl Borden”. In this 2-part segment, the award winning San Francisco interior design expert, known for her playful and fearless use of color, shares tips on how to pick paint colors for your home interior.
In this first video, Kimball explains the difference between warm and cool colors, and uses a San Francisco residential interior she decorated as an example of how to create color flow and continuity throughout multiple rooms inside a home.
– [Sheryl] Thank you so much for being with us today, Kimball. We’re going to
talk about color, and, you know, a third grader usually learns about color,
the color wheel, and colors opposite, and what it all means. But when you’re
making an investment like we will in our homes, we wanna know what we’re going
to put together, and that we will really feel good about it when it’s done. So
how do you either caution people, or make them feel… sure about it. My
husband would always want white walls. That’s the only things he
would, you know, want to use.
– [Kimball] He’s a minimalist. [laughs]
– A minimalist, I guess that’s it. So, how do ya go about it?
– Well, I’m really excited to be talking about color, because it’s really my
favorite thing in interiors. It just… it’s just fantastic. Color can effect
you physically and psychologically. As you probably know, colors can make you
tired, they can make you happy, they can make you angry…
[laughs] … they can make you depressed, and they can make you feel joyous.
– Uh-huh.
– So, with picking colors, first it’s important to understand the difference
between warm and cool colors. So, we have warm colors on this side, and cool
colors on this.
– Mm-hm.
– So to understand warm colors, think of things such as… attached to the
Earth, or a sunset. So reds, and oranges, and yellows. And these colors make you
feel very energized, and they’re very happy colors.
– Mm-hm.
– And then cool colors are things associated with the sky and the ocean. So your
blues, your dark greens and your purples. And you’ll notice that I have two
greens here, and green can either be warm or cool. If it has more yellow in it,
it tends to be a warm color.
– Oh, or if it has more blue. I see. Yeah.
– That’s right. Whereas this would be a cool color.
– Mm-hm. So the basics, that’s where we need to start.
– That’s right, ‘cuz I didn’t-, I wasn’t as lucky. In third grade I didn’t learn
anything about color. I think it was, like, my 20’s.
– Uh-huh. [laughter]
– Well, that’s probably true.
– So, when you’re choosing color, the important things to think about are the
quality of the natural light in the room, and the artificial light because it
changes throughout the day.
– Mm-hm.
– Also, what mood do you wanna set? And, what are the existing furnishings, ‘cuz
you’re not gonna throw out the sofa just because you painted a color that
doesn’t match.
– Right. Mm-hm.
– You want to-, ideally, choose the paint last, because you’ve already purchased
all your furnishings, and that’s the harder thing to change. Paint-
– And the most expensive.
– That’s right.
– Uh-huh.
– Paint is the easiest thing to change.
– Yeah.
– And then, also think about what are the adjacent spaces that are next to the
room that you’re painting, ‘cuz you want there to be a flow throughout your
house.
– Oh, mm-hm.
– So — and here I have a dining area where I’ve chosen this color. And we’ll
just move these aside —
– Okay.
– … and show you this, kind of, burnt harvest color. And it’s mixed…
– It’s a very warm room.
– Yes, it’s very warm. It’s mixed with this color for the ceiling, and then to
really accent the trim, a bright white.
– Oh, uh-huh.
– And, oranges are great for a dining area. Oranges and reds. They elicit
appetite. As you notice, a lot of fast food places, they always use orange and
reds.
– Uh-huh. Yes, uh-huh.
– And they help with conversation. They can be passionate, so choose your dinner
guests wisely. [laughter] And… they create a feeling of warmth and intimacy.
– Mm-hm.
– So… moving on to- And this is all-
I’m gonna show you a couple rooms that are all within the same space.
– Mm-hm.
– So, actually, if we keep those colors here, we can see how they all flow
together. So we have…
– Oh.
– … the adjacent space
– Uh-huh, the blue.
– That’s right.
– Uh-huh.
– So it links.
– And the white.
– That’s right.
– Yeah.
– So we have oranges on one wall of the room, and then we have this color as the
ceiling and the trim.
– Mm-hm.
– And the linking color between, so there’s the living area, and then this far
wall. So the linking color is this.
– Sort of subtly goes. It goes from one, and blends it into the next.
– That’s right. It links. And then we have the bay window, which it’s accented
with this really dark-
– Um, down on the bottom, uh-huh.
– Now I wouldn’t do a whole wall. In this particular situation, I wouldn’t
do a whole wall on that. That would be very dark.
– Uh-huh.
– Although, that is very chic to do that now. But I don’t think it’s appropriate
for this space.
– Uh-huh.
– So it’s just used in a very small portion right down here.
– Mm-hm. It’s more of an accent.
– That’s right.
– Mm-hm.
– And then for the wall where the office is, we lighten it up and have this
blue.
– Mm-hm.
– And then, I’ll show you the adjoining bedroom, that’s down the hall, and
how… it all flows together.
– Again, it’s going to flow together.
Kimball Starr is an expert paint color consultant who has been featured on television and published in several hardcover design books. The award-winning San Francisco designer showcases work highlighting both bold and subtle paint colors to capture natural light and desired mood.
The new year brings with it new energy to refresh, enliven and redesign your life! An easy and fun way to inject your life with new energy is by using color – we recommend Pantone’s 2015 Color of the Year – Marsala.
“Much like the fortified wine that gives Marsala its name, this tasteful hue embodies the satisfying richness of a fulfilling meal while its grounding red-brown roots emanate a sophisticated, natural earthiness. This hearty yet stylish tone is universally appealing and translates easily to fashion, beauty, industrial design, home furnishings and interiors,” says Pantone’s website heralding their selection.
How would you use Marsala? Take a look at this bachelor’s living room designed by Kimball, featuring a lampshade and high pile rug in Marsala. They exude sumptuous luxury and make you want to pour a glass of wine and have a seat!
Pantone’s Color of 2015 “Marsala” rug, lampshade in living room by Kimball Starr Interior Design / Photo by Eric Rorer
Equally appealing to men and women, dramatic and at the same time grounding, the rich and full-bodied red-brown Marsala brings color warmth into home interiors. If you want to use this color but don’t know what it pairs with, or are not sure how to bring Marsala into an existing interior design scheme, Kimball Starr is an expert color consultant and can provide color consultations for your most challenging interiors.
For this series on Loft Design, we’ve been discussing how to get the best use of your space by creating zones. Let’s wrap up this series with this final discussion on how to create a guest bedroom that doubles as additional living space.
Many homes have dual-purpose guest bedrooms, and it can be difficult for guests to feel comfortable and maintain their privacy. This is a common problem in one bedroom lofts, where the same openness loft residents crave can leave overnight guests feeling exposed. The best way to approach this challenge is to define the space clearly, and to create a private temporary guest bedroom just for them.
Kimball Starr Interior Design / Photo by Joe Fletcher
In the photo above of Kimball Starr’s award winning San Francisco loft design, you can see two areas that intersect: a dining space and a living area. Plenty of room for circulation has been left between them, as well as access to the wall storage and display shelves. However, the real magic is behind those frosted glass panels as they slide in multiple directions to create either a partial wall, or completely enclose the area behind them.
Kimball Starr Interior Design / Photo by Joe Fletcher
Above you can see the slipper chairs have been moved, and the wall bed also known as a Murphy bed, is pulled down and dressed with silky luxurious linens. Artwork is hung on the wall behind to finish it off nicely, and an accent light operable from the guest bed doubles as a reading light. You probably didn’t even notice the closed Murphy bed in the first photo!
Kimball Starr Interior Design / Photo by Joe Fletcher
In this final view, you can see the translucent sliding glass doors, which were stacked previously. They slide effortlessly closed to create a temporary private guest room which allows light to pass through, so your guests gain privacy without losing light. It’s an elegant contemporary solution for maximizing living space while simultaneously providing guest bedroom space in an open floor plan.
We’re discussing clever storage as part of this series on Loft Design. Previously we looked at creating cozy zones using furniture, lighting and textiles, and considered the gifts and challenges of all that open space in Loft Design: Open Floor Plan. What most lofts don’t offer is built-in storage, and if there’s one thing that every modern family needs, it’s storage for their personal items.
Revisiting our San Francisco SOMA loft, here’s how you can address that need to hide away the relics and tools of daily life. To create a beautiful place to store and display china, books, and collectibles, a rolling curved bookcase shown below wraps around the loft’s spiral staircase, making it feel like a real treat to use the stairs. We painted the interior casework with lovely high-gloss orange paint, and the exterior facing the living room in a faded metallic stencil pattern for a sophisticated look.
Kimball Starr Interior Design / photo by Joe Fletcher
The entire height of the bookcase is attached with a piano hinge and swings back and forth on hidden floor casters, providing access to interior shelving and maximizing the floor space. The small recessed alcove repeats the orange color for a sense of harmony and rhythm, and the shape of the wall echoes the shape of the bookcase.
Because a loft is so open, there often isn’t a separate laundry facility. It makes sense to place your laundry nearby or in your loft’s kitchen, for the best use of plumbing and electrical facilities, but how do you conceal the mess and contain the noise?
Kimball Starr Interior Design / photo by Joe Fletcher
The washer dryer storage solution shown above was another moveable wall concealed as a column. Similar to the bookcase whose shape it repeats, this faux column slides on casters to reveal a stacked washer and dryer unit right next to the kitchen, complete with interior shelves for storing laundry supplies. What could be more convenient?
When you live in a loft, another challenge is how to make your overnight guests feel at home with their own private sleeping area. Join us next week for the final installment of Loft Design, where we’ll share an expert design solution on how to create a guest bedroom within a one-bedroom loft.
Kimball Starr Interior Design is a San Francisco award winning loft design firm that provides contemporary interior design for residential and commercial interiors.
One of our favorite types of design projects here at Kimball Starr Interior Design is lofts. It’s exciting to have so much open area to work with: high ceilings, often lots of natural light, and few walls or physical restrictions. However, sometimes you need boundaries to help define an open floor plan, to give it purpose and make it more cozy and livable. Over the next series of blog posts about loft design, we’ll show examples of how to get maximum design impact and best use of your open plan loft based on a recently designed San Francisco loft interior by Kimball Starr.
When you have high-ceiling lofts with lots of open floor space to work with, one problem can be how to design the interior appropriately so they feel intimate. Custom rugs, draperies, and decorative accents are essential design elements that soften the acoustics and personalize the loft to feel more like your home.
In this beautiful award winning San Francisco loft interior, multiple techniques have been used simultaneously to both accentuate the room height for visual drama, and to lower the ceiling height to create intimate entertaining areas.
Kimball Starr Interior Design / photo by Joe Fletcher
Authentic Moroccan brass teardrop pendants fill the high space above the custom-designed curved fireplace and dramatic 18 foot high golden draperies emphasize the room height and capture sunlight with a backlit glow. Hanging hand-pierced brass pendants down to the top of the fireplace lowers the visual focus and adds a stunning design element.
To create a more intimate space in the living area, white glass pendants hang down to visually lower the ceiling directly over the seating area and the living room rug has been custom-cut at an angle to echo the lines of the sofa creating room for the adjacent pivoting bookcase on floor casters. By customizing the shape and size of the rug, we’ve defined the living area zone and created an inviting and intimate space.
Kimball Starr Interior Design / photo by Joe Fletcher
When entering the loft, you stand underneath the upstairs loft overlook where this lower ceiling compresses the space and identifies the entry and kitchen as separate zones, showing how varying ceiling heights in the open floor plan can create different spaces. After walking past the lower ceiling, the compressed space explodes into soaring ceilings, underscored by the dramatic height of the draperies.
In this incredible space, it’s important to create a feeling of intimacy for relaxing and entertaining, which is accomplished by the comfortable contemporary sofa sectional offering multiple seats for reading and entertaining next to a roaring fire.
Kimball Starr Interior Design / photo by Joe Fletcher
An intimate mid-century dining area and separate lounge area are created by grouping furniture under the lower ceiling. The entire space where the lounge chairs are located, converts into a guest bedroom which we’ll show you in the last of this 3-part series of Loft Design. It’s easy to see how you would live in these spaces – they feel cozy and intimate.
Filling spaces often isn’t a problem for modern homeowners- it’s more about making lofts feel comfortable and cozy while still preserving their dramatic openness. The best loft design is a balancing act, and we’re loft design experts at Kimball Starr Interior Design! In the next installment in this 3-part series on loft design, we’ll talk about clever ideas for loft storage. Please check back next Wednesday to learn about storage solutions for this loft or yours.
Kimball Starr Interior Design is a San Francisco award winning loft design firm that provides contemporary interior design for residential and commercial interiors.
San Francisco interior designer, Kimball Starr, is featured as the interior design expert in a guest appearance on the nationally televised series of PBS “Creative Living with Sheryl Borden”. In this 3-part segment, the San Francisco interior designer teaches how to mix patterns, color, and texture to enrich the look of your home interior.
In this third video segment, Kimball shares expert tips on how to mix fabric patterns in a contemporary bedroom. She creates a romantic space and balances the masculine and feminine styles of a married couple through a curated selection of materials, fabric patterns, texture, and color.
In case you missed the first two videos about how to Style Your Home with Pattern, Color, and Texture!, here are Video 1 and Video 2.
Video transcript below:
♪[music]♪
[Announcer] – With your host Sheryl Borden.
– [Kimball] So now we have a dini- a bedroom area, I should say.
– [Sheryl] Bedroom, okay.
– So this was a newlywed couple and they’re very young and they wanted something really fun and youthful.
– Uh huh.
– So, we still wanted to keep it romantic but not too feminine that, as you were saying,
– Right
– the husband feels alienated and feels like he’s living in girly-land.
– [laughs]
– So we started with this rug that has a really geometric print so it’s a little bit of a masculine feel but popped it with some fun color. And I– on this I have a grass cloth. Let me show you the other. So that’s our bed. And this is to the right of the bed. And you can see there’s a grass cloth here.
– Oh, on the wall. Uh-huh.
– If you were feeling a little adventurous you could do something like this and really add a lot of pattern and texture.
– This, this is the grass cloth.
– This is, this is the– yeah. This is—
– It’s so, so much like the– I can’t believe it. – [laughs]
– How you found that!
– It’s not the same manufacturer.
– Uh huh. – Yeah.
– That’s amazing.
– And so the drapes were done in this fabric and this is a blackout drape so it doesn’t let any light through and because it was so dark I really wanted to bring a splash of color and some brightness into—
– Yeah.
– the room. So by using this—
– a border or—
– Mm hmm, by using this really fun—
– an accent.
– accent, this yellow accent, and our side tables are done in a lacquer and we actually had them custom painted in this really bright yellow on the sides of the bed and then our lamps that we purchased were just simple white lampshades but you can take any sort of fabric and cover. And so this is the floral fabric that we took to cover the lampshades that sit on top of the nightstand.
And then that leaves us with our wall color. So, I picked kind of this mauve-y tone and then for the ceiling we just lightened it up a little. And then all that’s left– Oh, there’s also some sitting chairs to the right of that, which are white leather.
– Oh, okay.
– And all that’s left is the bed. So we have a headboard, which we used a really luxurious kind of sexy velvet, which is great for honeymooners and newlyweds. And here I have a floral print for the bed spread but if your going use this sort of grasscloth for the space I think that would just start to be too much—
– Too much.
– pattern. So assuming you use something like that, then you tone it down and use a solid color like this, really thin wool, and then you can accent with pillows. And you can do some little small—
– That’s what really pulls things together– – Yeah.
– It seems like, when you do the accent pillows.
– Absolutely, and then this pulls in the colors. It’s a fun little pattern and if you wanna do something a little bolder you can use something like this also as a
– Yeah, that’s pretty with it too.
– accent for the pillows on the bed and the white brings in the white leather chairs and most of the white of the lamp shade so you have a balance of light,
medium, and dark tones.
– And that’s important too.
– Yeah and then if you want to really make it kinda more moody, then you could also bring in something like this, which is a darker accent pillow.
– But if you want—
– Oh, for the pillow.
– Mm hmm – Uh huh
– Yeah.
– Oh I love the colors you work with. What do you do when someone wants colors you don’t like? Is that hard to work with?
– You know what? There’s no colors I don’t like.
– Oh okay. – So— [laughing]
– So that never happens.
– Well it’s a good thing. Well, you do a wonderful job. I’ve enjoyed seeing—
– Thank you.
– what all you pulled and put together.
– Thank you so much.
– Thank you so much Sheryl, it was fun.
Kimball Starr is a San Francisco award winning interior design firm whose residential interiors have been featured on national television and globally published in a series of hardcover books. Diverse spaces spanning contemporary design to traditional interiors show the variety of styles provided by this San Francisco interior designer.
